Waste disposal units are typically used to process solid waste, such as food waste, garbage and/or other waste, into particulates small enough to pass through associated drain plumbing. A conventional waste disposal is configured to be mounted onto a sink drain extending downward from a corresponding sink such that water/waste discharged from the sink may be directed into the disposal. The water/waste is typically directed into a grind chamber defined above a cutting or grinding mechanism of the disposal. The grinding mechanism is coupled to a shaft of a corresponding motor to allow the grinding mechanism to be rotated at high speeds. The waste contained within the grind chamber is typically ground, shredded, cut and/or otherwise processed into small particulates as a result of the rotation of the grinding mechanism relative to a stationary cutter ring extending around the outer perimeter of the grinding mechanism. The water and processed waste may then be discharged from the disposal and transmitted through the associated plumbing.
Conventional cutter rings typically include a plurality of openings or slots defined therein to facilitate processing of the waste contained within the grind chamber, with each slot extending axially or perpendicularly from a bottom surface or edge of the cutter ring. Unfortunately, it has been found that such axially extending slots typically require a significantly large cutting force in order to process the waste and prevent jamming of the disposal. Moreover, in order to reduce the required cutting force, the circumferential width of such slots must be rather large. As a result, the number of slots that may be defined around the circumference of the cutter ring is reduced, thereby reducing the overall efficiency and performance of the disposal.
Accordingly, an improved cutter ring configuration for a waste disposal that provides for reduced loading on the rotatable cutting or grinding mechanism and/or that provides for increased cutting or grinding performance and/or efficiency would be welcomed in the technology.